West Bengal denies Centre's outreach on common board, calls move unnecessary for high-performing state
KOLKATA: West Bengal Education Minister
Bratya Basu
on Thursday said he is yet to receive any communication from the Union Ministry of Education, which has recommended seven states to adopt a common board for classes 10 and 12 after an analysis flagged that they accounted for 66 per cent of student failures last year.
Speaking to reporters, Basu said students of the West Bengal boards always perform well, and the class 10 and 12 final examinations conducted by them record a high pass percentage.
"We are yet to hear anything about this from the Centre. However, whatever I read in the press, the issue is not relevant to our state. Except for the COVID period, the pass percentage of candidates appearing in both secondary and higher secondary exams in West Bengal has been high," he said.
The
West Bengal Board of Secondary Education
conducts the Madhyamik examination for class 10, while the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education conducts the class 12 final examinations.
This year, 86.56 per cent out of the total 9,69,425 candidates cleared the Madhaymik examination, while 90.79 per cent of 4,82,948 candidates cleared the class 12 exams.
PTI had reported on Wednesday that the Ministry of Education has recommended seven states to adopt a common board for classes 10 and 12 after an analysis by the School Education Department found they accounted for 66 per cent of student failures last year.
The seven states are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Manipur, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal.
There are a total of 66 school examination boards in the country -- three national-level boards and 63 state-level boards (54 regular and 12 open boards).
While the top 33 boards cover 97 per cent of students, the remaining 33 boards cover just 3 per cent of students.
"Common board for classes 10 and 12 is the way forward for ease of schooling. Not having a common board leads to poor academic outcomes. We have recommended these states to adopt a common board," School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar said.
Is your child ready for the careers of tomorrow? Enroll now and take advantage of our early bird offer! Spaces are limited.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
24 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Nitish Kumar urges Bihar residents to thank PM Modi for caste census
The JD(U) supremo was sharing the stage with the PM in Siwan district, where Modi launched 28 development projects worth over Rs 5,900 crore Press Trust of India Siwan (Bihar) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the announcement of the caste census and urged the people of the state to do the same. The JD(U) supremo was sharing the stage with the PM in Siwan district, where Modi launched 28 development projects worth over Rs 5,900 crore. "Ordering a caste census is a great thing that the Centre has done. I thank the Prime Minister for the same," said Kumar, and addressing the people, "you all may please express your gratitude towards him". The crowds erupted in applause, and chants in praise of the two leaders were heard. Notably, the caste census has been an issue close to the heart of Bihar's longest-serving chief minister, who had earlier got resolutions passed in its favour from both Houses of the state legislature. The BJP-JD(U) combine seeks to retain power in the assembly polls due in a few months, overcoming the challenge posed by the RJD, Congress, and Left combine, which has been claiming that the caste census was a result of its relentless pressure on the state. Kumar, who has been critical of the opposition, especially the RJD, over its governance track record, took potshots at the main rival, without naming the party. "Did the ones in power until we took over care for governance? People were scared of stepping out of their homes because of the law and order situation. Such a contrasting sight today when we have boys, girls, and so many women moving freely," said Kumar. The JD(U) supremo also praised the Modi government for its generous assistance to the state and expressed confidence that "with the help of the Centre, Bihar is all set to scale great heights". (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Did they give us water? Omar Abdullah rejects canal idea to divert water to Punjab
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had a no-holds-barred approach when asked about a canal that India is reportedly building for diverting excess water from three western rivers of the Indus system in the Union Territory to Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan."Why should I send water to Punjab?" he told reporters on Friday, in a fiery tone that showed the J&K Chief Minister hasn't forgotten the years-long dispute between the two will never permit this. Let us use our water for ourselves first... There is a drought-like situation in Jammu. Why should I send water to Punjab? Punjab already had water under the Indus Water Treaty. Did they give us water when we needed it?" he added. In his statement, Abdullah invoked the 45-year-old dispute between the Punjab and J&K governments over the construction of the Shahpur Kandi barrage in Pathankot. Signed in 1979, the agreement between the two regions saw fruition only in 2018 after the Centre's mediation. The barrage is meant to stop the flow of water from River Ravi to Pakistan."Kitne saal unhone humein rulaya. (They made us cry for so many years)," Omar Abdullah told reporters on 55-year-old Chief Minister made his stance clear on the proposed 113-km-long canal, saying "for now the water is for us". "We will use the water first, and then we will think about others," Abdullah May, media reports said that the Indian government had decided to divert water meant for Pakistan under the Indus Water Treaty for use in the northern states of Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana. The Jal Shakti Ministry is working on infrastructure development on a war-footing to implement the decision, news agency ANI ministry's aim is to ensure not a single drop of water meant for Pakistan goes to waste. The report surfaced last month, soon after India launched Operation Sindoor and officially suspended its adherence to the Indus Waters Treaty. Signed in 1960, the treaty governs the distribution of waters of six rivers - Beas, Ravi, Jhelum, Indus, Chenab and Sutlej - between India and Indus treaty suspension and Operation Sindoor were in retaliation for the April 22 massacre in J&K's Pahalgam, where Pakistan-backed terrorists gunned down 22 people, mostly Watch IN THIS STORY#Omar Abdullah#Jammu and Kashmir#Punjab#Pakistan#India-Pakistan
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Assam district officials told to enforce law that bars sale of cattle meat 5km of temples: CM
GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the district officials have been ordered to strictly comply with provisions of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act 2021 that prohibits the slaughter of cattle and sale of their meat within a five-kilometre radius of any Hindu religious place. 'It appears that one of the provisions of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, which bans killing, slaughter, sale, purchase and consumption of cattle meat within a five-km radius of religious places, wasn't followed stringently ahead of Eid-al-Adha this year,' the chief minister told reporters. 'That's why we witnessed several instances of people trying to create communal tension by placing cow meat at temples and other religious places at Dhubri, Lakhipur, Lakhimpur and Hojai. Now we have directed all district authorities to ensure strict compliance with that provision so that such incidents don't take place,' he said, claiming that there was an effort by rival groups to spread communal tension in the state by throwing cattle meat at religious places and promoting hate on social media. Sarma alleged there was a concerted effort by some elements, both within the state and outside, to create communal tensions in Assam, especially through social media platforms. He said about 5,000-6,000 social media accounts had recently been activated that support a particular political party and spread hate. 'We have conducted forensic analysis of 2,093 Facebook accounts and found that nearly 700 are operated from Bangladesh, around 350 accounts have origins in Pakistan and around 500 in countries in the Middle East,' the CM said. 'Besides, there are many accounts from over 40 other countries. Most of these posts have content with hardcore Islamic fundamentalist ideals and express support for one particular political party and its leader from Assam,' he added. 'This is the first time we are witnessing such foreign involvement in Assam politics. We have informed the Centre about these accounts and their activities so that some countermeasures can be taken from a national security perspective,' he said.
